2002–03 New Orleans Hornets season

2002–03 New Orleans Hornets season
Head coachPaul Silas
General managerBob Bass
Owner(s)George Shinn, Ray Wooldridge
ArenaNew Orleans Arena
Results
Record47–35 (.573)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Central)
Conference: 5th (Eastern)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to 76ers 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionCox Sports Television
RadioWTIX

The 2002–03 New Orleans Hornets season was the inaugural [a] season for the New Orleans Hornets in the National Basketball Association. Decades after the Jazz relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, the NBA returned to New Orleans with the New Orleans Hornets.[1][2][3] Originally reckoned as the 15th season of the franchise, the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets' reclaiming the heritage of the original Hornets has since retroactively deemed this season as the inaugural season for the franchise that would eventually become the Pelicans.[4]

The Hornets also moved into a new arena known as the New Orleans Arena. During the off-season, the team acquired Courtney Alexander from the Washington Wizards,[5][6] and signed free agent Robert Pack. The Hornets made their NBA regular season debut in New Orleans on October 30, 2002, in which the team defeated the Utah Jazz at home, 100–75 in front of an attendance of 17,668 at the New Orleans Arena; the Hornets outscored the Jazz 32–11 in the fourth quarter, as Baron Davis finished the game with a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists, and made 4 out of 6 three-point field-goal attempts.[7]

The Hornets got off to a fast start by winning 10 of their first 13 games of the regular season. However, after a 17–7 start to the season, the team struggled and lost 13 of their next 16 games, and held a 26–24 record at the All-Star break.[8] At mid-season, the team traded Elden Campbell to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Kenny Anderson, who had previously played for the Hornets back in Charlotte during the second half of the 1995–96 season.[9][10] The Hornets posted an 8-game winning streak between February and March, and won their final five games of the season, finishing in third place in the Central Division with a decent 47–35 record, and earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.[11]

Jamal Mashburn averaged 21.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, contributed 119 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Davis averaged 17.1 points, 6.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game, but only played just 50 games due to a left knee injury,[12][13][14] and David Wesley provided the team with 16.7 points and 1.5 steals per game, and also led them with 134 three-point field goals. In addition, P.J. Brown contributed 10.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while Jamaal Magloire became the team's starting center, averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Off the bench, Alexander contributed 7.9 points per game, while Anderson provided with 6.0 points and 3.3 assists per game in 23 games after the trade, Pack contributed 5.2 points and 2.9 assists per game, George Lynch averaged 4.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, and Robert Traylor provided with 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.[15]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Mashburn was selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first and only All-Star appearance.[16][17][18] Meanwhile, Wesley participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[19][20] Mashburn also finished tied in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting,[21] while head coach Paul Silas finished in twelfth place in Coach of the Year voting.[21]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Hornets faced off against the 4th–seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who were led by All-Star guard Allen Iverson, Keith Van Horn and Eric Snow. The 76ers took a 3–1 series lead, but the Hornets managed to win Game 5 on the road, 93–91 at the First Union Center. However, the Hornets lost Game 6 to the 76ers at home, 107–103 at the New Orleans Arena, thus losing the series in six games.[22][23][24]

The Hornets finished 19th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 641,683 at the New Orleans Arena during the regular season.[15][25] Following the season, Silas was fired as head coach after four in a half seasons with the Hornets,[26][27] while Anderson signed as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers,[28] and Pack re-signed with his former team, the New Jersey Nets.

For the season, the Hornets slightly changed their primary logo, replacing the city name "Charlotte" with "New Orleans" above their original logo of a hornet bouncing a basketball;[29] the team also changed their uniforms, adding the color yellow to their color scheme of teal.[30][31] The team's new primary logo, and new uniforms would both remain in use until 2008.

Draft

Main article: 2002 NBA draft

The Hornets had no draft picks in 2002. They had previously traded these to the Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.

Because the franchise had relocated from Charlotte, the team went straight to the draft without the typical expansion draft process. Under the 2014 franchise agreement, all pre-2002 records were returned to Charlotte. Consequently, the team is now treated as a 2002 expansion team to account for the split in historical records.

Roster

2002–03 New Orleans Hornets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 32 Courtney Alexander 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1977–04–27 Fresno State
G 12 Kenny Anderson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 1970–10–09 Georgia Tech
G/F 2 Stacey Augmon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1968–08–01 UNLV
F/C 42 P. J. Brown 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 239 lb (108 kg) 1969–10–14 Louisiana Tech
G 1 Baron Davis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 212 lb (96 kg) 1979–04–13 UCLA
G 17 Bryce Drew 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1974–09–21 Valparaiso
F 35 Kirk Haston 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 242 lb (110 kg) 1979–03–10 Indiana
G/F 9 George Lynch 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1970–09–03 North Carolina
C 21 Jamaal Magloire 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1978–05–21 Kentucky
F 24 Jamal Mashburn 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1972–11–29 Kentucky
C 6 Jérôme Moïso 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1978–06–15 UCLA
G 14 Robert Pack 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1969–02–03 USC
F/C 34 Robert Traylor 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1977–02–01 Michigan
G 4 David Wesley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1970–11–14 Baylor
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: February 20, 2003

Regular season

Standings

Central Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Detroit Pistons 50 32 .610 – 30–11 20–21 19–9
x-Indiana Pacers 48 34 .585 2 32–9 16–25 19–9
x-New Orleans Hornets 47 35 .573 3 29–12 18–23 17–11
x-Milwaukee Bucks 42 40 .512 8 25–16 17–24 16–12
e-Atlanta Hawks 35 47 .427 15 26–15 9–32 14–14
e-Chicago Bulls 30 52 .366 20 27–14 3–38 12–16
e-Toronto Raptors 24 58 .293 26 15–26 9–32 10–18
e-Cleveland Cavaliers 17 65 .207 33 14–27 3–38 5–23
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Detroit Pistons 50 32 .610 –
2 y-New Jersey Nets 49 33 .598 1
3 x-Indiana Pacers 48 34 .585 2
4 x-Philadelphia 76ers 48 34 .585 2
5 x-New Orleans Hornets 47 35 .573 3
6 x-Boston Celtics 44 38 .537 6
7 x-Milwaukee Bucks 42 40 .512 8
8 x-Orlando Magic 42 40 .512 8
9 e-New York Knicks 37 45 .451 13
10 e-Washington Wizards 37 45 .451 13
11 e-Atlanta Hawks 35 47 .427 15
12 e-Chicago Bulls 30 52 .366 20
13 e-Miami Heat 25 57 .305 25
14 e-Toronto Raptors 24 58 .293 26
15 e-Cleveland Cavaliers 17 65 .207 33

Game log

Game Date Opponent Result Hornets score Opponent score Record OT
1 October 30 Utah Win 100 75 1-0
2 November 1 @ Chicago Loss 79 84 1-1
3 November 2 Miami Win 100 95 2-1
4 November 6 Seattle Win 86 84 3-1
5 November 8 Golden State Win 110 104 4-1
6 November 10 @ New York Win 97 91 5-1 OT
7 November 12 @ Detroit Loss 87 93 5-2
8 November 13 Minnesota Win 102 98 6-2
9 November 15 Chicago Win 105 87 7-2
10 November 16 @ Atlanta Loss 82 89 7-3
11 November 19 Philadelphia Win 99 98 8-3
12 November 22 New York Win 105 97 9-3 OT
13 November 23 @ Cleveland Win 97 84 10-3
14 November 25 @ Philadelphia Loss 87 108 10-4
15 November 27 Atlanta Win 106 94 11-4
16 November 30 @ New York Loss 86 92 11-5 OT
17 December 1 @ Boston Loss 86 95 11-6
18 December 3 @ Chicago Win 115 90 12-6
19 December 4 Toronto Win 89 74 13-6
20 December 6 Houston Win 98 96 14-6 OT
21 December 7 @ Milwaukee Win 94 88 15-6
22 December 9 LA Clippers Loss 90 94 15-7
23 December 12 @ Utah Win 93 88 16-7
24 December 13 @ LA Lakers Win 98 82 17-7
25 December 15 @ Sacramento Loss 92 107 17-8
26 December 17 @ Portland Loss 93 102 17-9
27 December 18 @ Golden State Loss 106 111 17-10
28 December 20 @ Seattle Win 88 86 18-10 OT
29 December 23 @ San Antonio Loss 94 99 18-11 OT
30 December 26 Dallas Loss 81 83 18-12
31 December 28 @ Indiana Loss 84 91 18-13
32 December 29 @ Houston Loss 85 97 18-14
33 December 31 Indiana Loss 86 89 18-15
34 January 3 Orlando Win 100 89 19-15
35 January 5 @ Toronto Win 99 84 20-15
36 January 6 @ Memphis Loss 102 106 20-16
37 January 8 Boston Loss 83 93 20-17
38 January 10 Detroit Loss 99 101 20-18 OT
39 January 11 @ Atlanta Loss 80 87 20-19
40 January 15 LA Lakers Loss 82 90 20-20
41 January 17 Chicago Win 90 83 21-20
42 January 20 Phoenix Win 114 103 22-20
43 January 22 Washington Win 103 94 23-20
44 January 24 Portland Loss 96 97 23-21 OT
45 January 27 Milwaukee Loss 93 108 23-22
46 January 29 Toronto Win 104 83 24-22
47 January 31 @ New Jersey Loss 72 89 24-23
48 February 1 @ Washington Loss 104 109 24-24
49 February 3 Boston Win 103 96 25-24
50 February 5 Sacramento Win 108 84 26-24
51 February 11 @ Miami Win 78 69 27-24
52 February 12 Indiana Loss 72 83 27-25
53 February 14 @ Minnesota Loss 93 114 27-26
54 February 16 Denver Win 100 92 28-26
55 February 18 @ Orlando Loss 94 99 28-27
56 February 19 Washington Win 87 75 29-27
57 February 21 Memphis Win 125 123 30-27 OT
58 February 22 @ Detroit Win 93 91 31-27
59 February 26 Miami Win 91 82 32-27
60 February 28 @ Denver Win 94 88 33-27
61 March 1 @ Phoenix Win 97 92 34-27
62 March 3 @ LA Clippers Win 111 108 35-27
63 March 7 Cleveland Win 102 76 36-27
64 March 9 New Jersey Loss 92 102 36-28
65 March 11 @ Indiana Win 81 71 37-28
66 March 12 @ Boston Loss 65 93 37-29
67 March 14 @ Miami Win 87 83 38-29
68 March 15 @ Orlando Loss 86 96 38-30
69 March 19 New York Win 101 96 39-30
70 March 21 Milwaukee Win 113 98 40-30
71 March 22 @ Milwaukee Loss 85 93 40-31
72 March 26 Orlando Loss 95 97 40-32
73 March 28 @ Toronto Win 101 92 41-32
74 March 30 San Antonio Loss 90 92 41-33
75 April 1 @ Dallas Loss 86 95 41-34
76 April 2 New Jersey Win 106 97 42-34
77 April 5 @ Cleveland Loss 76 79 42-35
78 April 9 Cleveland Win 100 81 43-35
79 April 11 Detroit Win 93 89 44-35
80 April 13 @ Philadelphia Win 94 89 45-35
81 April 14 @ New Jersey Win 87 74 46-35
82 April 16 Atlanta Win 92 77 47-35

Playoffs

At the start of the playoffs, Baron Davis would struggle with back pain. Jamal Mashburn would suffer a dislocated finger in Game 2 of the first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Hornets would force a 6th game, but Davis and Mashburn played hurt. The 76ers would eliminate the Hornets in the sixth game. After the season, the Hornets would stun their fans and most experts by firing Coach Paul Silas.[32]

2003 playoff game log
First Round: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 20 @ Philadelphia L 90–98 Jamal Mashburn (28) P. J. Brown (8) Baron Davis (6) First Union Center
19,711 		0–1
2 April 23 @ Philadelphia L 85–90 David Wesley (24) Jamaal Magloire (8) Jamal Mashburn (6) First Union Center
20,229 		0–2
3 April 26 Philadelphia W 99–85 Baron Davis (28) P. J. Brown (12) Baron Davis (8) New Orleans Arena
17,320 		1–2
4 April 28 Philadelphia L 87–96 Baron Davis (34) P. J. Brown (9) Baron Davis (7) New Orleans Arena
16,243 		1–3
5 April 30 @ Philadelphia W 93–91 Jamal Mashburn (21) Jamaal Magloire (12) Baron Davis (10) First Union Center
19,403 		2–3
6 May 2 Philadelphia L 103–107 Jamal Mashburn (36) three players tied (8) Baron Davis (11) New Orleans Arena
18,570 		2–4
2003 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Courtney Alexander 66 7 20.6 .382 .333 .808 1.8 1.2 .5 .1 7.9
Kenny Anderson 23 1 19.4 .407 .500 .727 2.0 3.3 .8 .2 6.0
Stacey Augmon 70 3 12.3 .411 .000 .750 1.7 1.0 .4 .1 3.0
P.J. Brown 78 78 33.4 .531 .000 .836 9.0 1.9 .9 1.0 10.7
Elden Campbell 41 1 16.7 .409 .000 .809 3.5 1.0 .6 .8 7.2
Baron Davis 50 47 37.8 .416 .350 .710 3.7 6.4 1.8 .4 17.1
Bryce Drew 13 0 6.1 .296 .429 . 1.0 .8 .2 .0 1.5
Kirk Haston 12 0 4.8 .118 .000 .500 .6 .3 .0 .4 .5
Randy Livingston 2 0 6.0 .500 . 1.000 .0 .5 .0 .0 3.0
George Lynch 81 32 18.5 .409 .354 .554 4.4 1.3 .8 .2 4.5
Jamaal Magloire 82 82 29.8 .480 .000 .717 8.8 1.1 .6 1.4 10.3
Jamal Mashburn 82 81 40.5 .422 .389 .848 6.1 5.6 1.0 .2 21.6
Jérôme Moïso 51 1 12.6 .520 . .659 3.5 .4 .4 .9 4.0
Robert Pack 28 4 15.7 .403 .000 .745 1.8 2.9 .9 .0 5.2
Robert Traylor 69 0 12.3 .443 .333 .648 3.8 .7 .7 .5 3.9
David Wesley 73 73 37.1 .433 .424 .781 2.4 3.4 1.5 .1 16.7

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Courtney Alexander 5 0 7.8 .438 1.000 .750 .8 .2 .4 .0 3.6
Kenny Anderson 5 0 10.2 .333 . 1.000 .4 1.8 .6 .0 2.2
Stacey Augmon 4 0 17.3 .333 . .875 2.5 .8 .8 .0 4.3
P.J. Brown 6 6 32.2 .477 . .760 7.7 1.0 1.2 .5 10.2
Baron Davis 5 5 38.8 .446 .343 .727 3.6 8.4 1.4 .4 20.4
George Lynch 6 3 27.2 .429 .278 .250 6.2 1.7 1.0 .8 7.0
Jamaal Magloire 6 6 31.3 .449 . .758 8.3 .3 .7 1.0 11.5
Jamal Mashburn 4 4 40.5 .430 .400 .714 3.5 5.3 1.0 .3 24.8
Jérôme Moïso 4 0 15.0 .625 . .750 4.0 1.3 .0 1.8 5.8
Robert Pack 4 0 10.5 .462 . 1.000 .3 1.0 .0 .0 3.8
Robert Traylor 6 0 15.7 .455 . .250 5.0 .7 .5 .8 3.5
David Wesley 6 6 30.8 .403 .412 1.000 1.2 2.2 .8 .2 13.2

Player statistics citation:[15]

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

See also

Notes

  1. ^ At the time, this season was considered the 15th season in franchise history, being viewed as a relocation from Charlotte. In 2014, after this team was rebranded as the Pelicans, the name and the statistical history of the original team was reclaimed by the present day Charlotte Hornets, who had begun play in 2004 as an expansion team known as the Charlotte Bobcats.

References

  1. ^ "Hornets Seeking Move to New Orleans". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 16, 2002. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Hornets' Move Receives Initial Approval". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 3, 2002. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Teaford, Elliott (May 11, 2002). "Hornets on Way to New Orleans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  4. ^ Feldman, Dan. "Charlotte Hornets assume historical records from New Pelicans". NBC Universal.
  5. ^ "Hornets Get Alexander for Draft Pick". United Press International. June 25, 2002. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  6. ^ Smith, Sam (October 30, 2002). "Eastern Conference Capsules". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "Utah Jazz at New Orleans Hornets Box Score, October 30, 2002". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  8. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Popper, Steve (February 21, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Sonics Deal Payton to Bucks for Allen". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  10. ^ "Hornets Trade Campbell for Kenny Anderson". Associated Press. February 20, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "2002–03 New Orleans Hornets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "Davis Has Surgery to Repair Torn Knee Cartilage". ESPN. Associated Press. January 28, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Baron Davis Goes on IL". United Press International. January 28, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "Hornets' Davis Hurting". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 22, 2003. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c "2002–03 New Orleans Hornets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Sheridan, Chris (February 9, 2003). "Something Old, Something New on Court at All-Star Game". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  17. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  18. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  19. ^ "Basketball". The Madison Courier. February 8, 2003. p. A8. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  20. ^ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  21. ^ a b "2002–03 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  22. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; The Sixers and Iverson Finish Off the Hornets". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 3, 2003. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Martel, Brett (May 4, 2003). "Sixers Book Advance Ticket". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  24. ^ "2003 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Hornets vs. 76ers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  25. ^ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  26. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; Silas Is Fired by the Hornets". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 5, 2003. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  27. ^ "Silas Loses Job as Hornet Coach". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 5, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  28. ^ "Sports Briefing". The New York Times. September 20, 2003. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  29. ^ "New Orleans Hornets Logo". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos.Net. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  30. ^ "New Orleans Hornets Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos.Net. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  31. ^ "New Orleans Hornets Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos.Net. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  32. ^ "New Orleans Hornets (2002-Present)". Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
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